MS Walk in St. Charles LbNA #21822
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Nearby Boxes
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | May 3, 2006 |
| Location: | |
| City: | St. Charles |
| County: | Kane |
| State: | Illinois |
| Boxes: | 2 |
| Planted by: | Gibson Girl  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | Dancing Dragonflies |
| Last found: | Apr 16, 2009 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | May 3, 2006 |
These boxes are back in place!
___________________________________________
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and optic nerves). Symptoms may be mild (such as numbness in the limbs) or severe (such as paralysis or loss of vision). The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted; however, new treatments and advances in research are giving hope to people who live with the disease.
With multiple sclerosis, the body’s own defense system attacks myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers of the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord (the central nervous system). The damaged myelin may form scar tissue (sclerosis), and often the nerve fiber is also damaged. When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses to and from the brain are distorted or interrupted.
MS is an unpredictable, but non-fatal, disease. Symptoms vary greatly from person to person and vary over time in the same person. Many people with MS learn to manage their disease and live very fulfilling lives. Statistics suggest that 2 out of 3 people with MS remain able to walk over their lifetime, but many of them will need a cane or other assistive device. Some will choose to use a scooter or wheelchair to conserve energy. Others will require a wheelchair to maintain mobility. The relatively new “disease-modifying” treatments, in use only since the 1990s, may favorably alter this projection. And new research suggests that a cure may only be a few years away.
An estimated 400,000 Americans have MS (most likely more have been misdiagnosed). Most are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50 (though MS has been found in young children as well), and about two thirds are women. The disease is more frequently found among people who grew up in colder climates.
My sister was diagnosed with MS in 1993 and my cousin in 2005. I have participated in the MS Walk wherever I have lived since 1993, this year in St. Charles (IL) on May 7. These letterboxes can be found along the route we walk to help raise money to further research on a cure for this strange disease. For more information about the MS Walk and my walking team, please click on the link above or go to: http://www.msillinois.org/site/TR?px=1060315&pg=personal&fr_id=1100&s_tafId=11391
You can help support the National MS Society by making a donation, joining my team (or making your own), finding these letterboxes, and by learning about MS.
(These are the first permanently placed boxes by KissMeKate and Barefoot Ankh, so we hope you enjoy them!)
MS Walk Logo Box
The MS Walk in St. Charles starts at Pottawatomie Park. From the main parking lot, head south along the main path that meanders next to the river. The Park has lots to offer for families with kids, a pool park, a bicycle safety course, miniature golf, and playgrounds. The day of the MS Walk, the open grassy area is filled with tents as the DJ blasts music from the covered stage area. You’ll be following in the steps of the Walkers. Continue to head south towards the bridges crossing the river, but no need to go underneath. Just before the bridge is a low brick wall. Turn and head east (~100°) walking along the edge of the mowed area. Walk 70 steps towards the cure for MS (past the storm drain cover but before the big power pole). Directly south of this spot, look for a 2-trunked tree where the smaller trunk has split at the base. Look for the logo in the crack at the base of the tree on the far side.
From here, you can continue your Walk for a MS cure by continuing on the trail south. Under the bridge, past the sculptures, around the fire station to First Avenue (becomes Riverside Avenue). Follow safe walking rules, especially at busy intersections! Enjoy the peaceful flow of the river as you continue walking south. Soon, on your left is Langum Park and the first rest area on the Walk.
St. Charles Fox Box
Find the flagpole near the markers for Camp Kane, near the big sign for the rebuilding of Farnsworth Mansion. At 90° from the flagpole, take 54 steps towards the cure for MS to a drink of water (avoiding the obstacles and no need to head into the poison ivy!). From the drink of water, take 26 steps at 150° to a trail into the woods. 16 steps down the trail from the grassy edge will lead you to the St. Charles Fox, tucked in a hiding spot in a rotted tree stump.
The MS Walk continues to wind its way from here all the way to the Fabyan East Windmill Forest Preserve (the halfway point of the Walk) and back to Pottawatomie Park (estimated distance 7 miles roundtrip). Please do as much of the Walk as you’d like, both because it’s a beautiful area and to support research towards a cure for MS.
As always, be safe and rehide the boxes well!
___________________________________________
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord and optic nerves). Symptoms may be mild (such as numbness in the limbs) or severe (such as paralysis or loss of vision). The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted; however, new treatments and advances in research are giving hope to people who live with the disease.
With multiple sclerosis, the body’s own defense system attacks myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers of the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord (the central nervous system). The damaged myelin may form scar tissue (sclerosis), and often the nerve fiber is also damaged. When any part of the myelin sheath or nerve fiber is damaged or destroyed, nerve impulses to and from the brain are distorted or interrupted.
MS is an unpredictable, but non-fatal, disease. Symptoms vary greatly from person to person and vary over time in the same person. Many people with MS learn to manage their disease and live very fulfilling lives. Statistics suggest that 2 out of 3 people with MS remain able to walk over their lifetime, but many of them will need a cane or other assistive device. Some will choose to use a scooter or wheelchair to conserve energy. Others will require a wheelchair to maintain mobility. The relatively new “disease-modifying” treatments, in use only since the 1990s, may favorably alter this projection. And new research suggests that a cure may only be a few years away.
An estimated 400,000 Americans have MS (most likely more have been misdiagnosed). Most are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50 (though MS has been found in young children as well), and about two thirds are women. The disease is more frequently found among people who grew up in colder climates.
My sister was diagnosed with MS in 1993 and my cousin in 2005. I have participated in the MS Walk wherever I have lived since 1993, this year in St. Charles (IL) on May 7. These letterboxes can be found along the route we walk to help raise money to further research on a cure for this strange disease. For more information about the MS Walk and my walking team, please click on the link above or go to: http://www.msillinois.org/site/TR?px=1060315&pg=personal&fr_id=1100&s_tafId=11391
You can help support the National MS Society by making a donation, joining my team (or making your own), finding these letterboxes, and by learning about MS.
(These are the first permanently placed boxes by KissMeKate and Barefoot Ankh, so we hope you enjoy them!)
MS Walk Logo Box
The MS Walk in St. Charles starts at Pottawatomie Park. From the main parking lot, head south along the main path that meanders next to the river. The Park has lots to offer for families with kids, a pool park, a bicycle safety course, miniature golf, and playgrounds. The day of the MS Walk, the open grassy area is filled with tents as the DJ blasts music from the covered stage area. You’ll be following in the steps of the Walkers. Continue to head south towards the bridges crossing the river, but no need to go underneath. Just before the bridge is a low brick wall. Turn and head east (~100°) walking along the edge of the mowed area. Walk 70 steps towards the cure for MS (past the storm drain cover but before the big power pole). Directly south of this spot, look for a 2-trunked tree where the smaller trunk has split at the base. Look for the logo in the crack at the base of the tree on the far side.
From here, you can continue your Walk for a MS cure by continuing on the trail south. Under the bridge, past the sculptures, around the fire station to First Avenue (becomes Riverside Avenue). Follow safe walking rules, especially at busy intersections! Enjoy the peaceful flow of the river as you continue walking south. Soon, on your left is Langum Park and the first rest area on the Walk.
St. Charles Fox Box
Find the flagpole near the markers for Camp Kane, near the big sign for the rebuilding of Farnsworth Mansion. At 90° from the flagpole, take 54 steps towards the cure for MS to a drink of water (avoiding the obstacles and no need to head into the poison ivy!). From the drink of water, take 26 steps at 150° to a trail into the woods. 16 steps down the trail from the grassy edge will lead you to the St. Charles Fox, tucked in a hiding spot in a rotted tree stump.
The MS Walk continues to wind its way from here all the way to the Fabyan East Windmill Forest Preserve (the halfway point of the Walk) and back to Pottawatomie Park (estimated distance 7 miles roundtrip). Please do as much of the Walk as you’d like, both because it’s a beautiful area and to support research towards a cure for MS.
As always, be safe and rehide the boxes well!